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We spend already some weeks in Portugal and realized some differences so far. In Portugal everybody has a lot of time. Just quickly does not work here. Even if you only ordered some water and no other customer is in the restaurant it might take up to 10 minutes before you will get your drink. We were too often too German and asked whether our order had been forgotten. No it was not. It is just the fact that in Portugal it takes much more time. Concerning reclamations it means when they say: „We immediately care about it“ it might take a couple of days. One waiter in Portugal brought it to the point by asking us: „Give me two hours.“ Car With our rental car we also drove on the highway. Therefore we had to acitivate a device in the car for the toll. Only with that device you

Porto – the little sister of Lisbon – how this town is also called. We have spent ten days here and can say: Yes, there is some truth to it. Porto is the little sister but does not need to hide behind the capital at all. The position is similar. At a mouth of a river. And it also has a lot to offer. The old town still exists entirely; at least all the houses are still there. Some are old and deteriorate. But on the other hand there is a lot of construction work and renovation going on. Take a walk along the alleys and streets and stroll between the small houses. Our tipp: Walk along one side of the street and take the other back. So you can see the wonderfully decorated facades. They are so nicely and lush decorated and you won’t see them by walking near

Our arrival with the rented car at Lissabon was an adventure. After spending time at the Algarve and a trip to Evora it was not only quite late that day but the traffic was also quite different. More … southern… There are traffic lights and lanes and roundabouts and everything but those things are sometimes not really taken seriously. Our sat nav brought us to our hotel and there was an underground parking. After one single try to reach something within Lisbon by rental car we used the rest of the week the public metro, a tuk-tuk or a taxi. We can only recommend this. Especially if you are not really fond of turbulent traffic. Taxis are affordable and the drivers that we had were nice and fair. Okay. Let’s go right into the center. Seven stations with the metro. We were (unfortunately) several times warned, to have an eye on

With our rental car we drove along the east coast. In about an hour you can get to the Spanish boarder by the way. Our first stop was Tariva. In the middle of the town there is a river which has more or less water according to the tides. One of the bridges that combines the old town with the center is from Roman times. We strolled through the alleys and admired the old houses that are still completely tiled. You can also find tile pictures in the church. There is also a lush golden altar. Very special. In the middle of fortification walls there is a shadowy garden with lots of flowers and trees. You can also find some fruits there. From the top of the walls you have a nice view over the village. Near the Spanish boarder lies the dreamy fishermen’s village Cacela Velha. Here only a

When you are in Portugal it is kind of inevitable to visit the most western point of Europe. No sooner said than done. The view is stunning. Unfortunately there is no special spot for the obligatory photographic proof. Otherwise there is some hustle and bustle and there are some booths. You can also get the famous last Bratwurst before America… You can also climb through the rocks. But be careful. There are no barriers and it might be stormy. On our way back we stopped at the beach of Beliche. A wide way with short steps leads down to the beach. There are some surfers to be seen and there are some visitors. You can rent parasols and there is a beach bar. Small, quiet, cozy and beautiful. There are two restaurants at the street. That’s it. We have been to Terra. There you can get the best pasteis de

If you can get enough of the steep coasts and rocks and water that glows in different colours, you can go to the hinterland. We went by rental car to Monchique. On our way we admired the many many stork nests. They are everywhere. On lamp posts, chimneys and trees. Some storks where there and clattered loudly. When we arrived at Monchique there was a handicraft festival. There were lots of booths with handmade items. But there was also old handicraft like basket-weaving to be seen. And in one booth there was a hand-loom. In the center a sign says: Miradouru. So we walked uphill through small streets. We landed at a wide place with fountains. Unfortunately they were not running. But we had a nice view from there. Our continuation of the journey to the highest point ‚Foia‘ was due to a forest fire impossible. But the nice policeman

After having been to Madeira and the Azore island Sao Miguel in spring we now went to the mainland. We started at the Algarve. Already the flight was quite promising. First looking over the mountains with their special shape and then the view on to the steep coast. Great. Well, where to start if there are so many things waiting to be discovered? In front of your door. Right. The first beach was Praia do Paraiso. And soon you realize: Steep coast? That means a lot (!) of stairs and steps. A flight of stairs leads down to Praia do Paraiso. And when you have been down, eventually you have to climb up… Having said that… the beach of Carvoeiro is right in the center and can be reached at ground level. One of the exceptions. If you want to have a nice view over the beach though you have